Shibbir Ahmed, New York — The United Nations General Assembly remains a central forum for international diplomacy, providing all 193 UN member states with a platform to debate global issues ranging from war and peace to development, climate change and human rights. In an interview with UN News, Richard Gowan, Director of UN and Multilateral Diplomacy at the International Crisis Group, discussed the Assembly’s changing role and its importance in global affairs ahead of the UN General Assembly’s high-level week.
Gowan said the UN’s founders initially expected the Security Council to be the main center of decision-making. However, divisions among the major powers quickly shifted many political discussions toward the General Assembly. During the early years of the UN, the Assembly played a significant role in debates over Palestine and Korea while the Security Council was frequently affected by Cold War divisions.
One major test came in 1956, when the Suez crisis and the Soviet intervention in Hungary unfolded simultaneously. According to Gowan, the General Assembly authorized the first UN peacekeeping operation in response to the Suez crisis, marking an important moment in the Assembly’s role in international crisis management.
A platform for newly independent states
The expansion of UN membership during the 1960s transformed the General Assembly. Newly independent countries used the forum to raise issues including apartheid in South Africa and remaining colonial conflicts.
Gowan said the Assembly became an important platform for countries emerging from colonial rule to make their voices heard internationally. During the 1960s, the Assembly adopted a series of resolutions condemning apartheid, while its debates increasingly reflected the growing influence of countries from what is now commonly called the Global South.
Developing countries also used the Assembly to challenge what they regarded as an unfair international economic system. In 1974, the General Assembly adopted a resolution calling for a new international economic order intended to provide a fairer system for developing countries.
Gowan said the Assembly gave countries emerging from colonialism a major platform to assert themselves on the world stage. He also argued that the international campaign against apartheid contributed to the eventual end of apartheid in South Africa, while acknowledging that efforts to establish a new international economic order did not achieve their intended outcome.
Post-Cold War cooperation
Following the end of the Cold War, diplomats were able to cooperate more closely on strengthening the UN system. Gowan pointed to the creation of the Peacebuilding Commission in 2005 as an example of initiatives developed through cooperation between member states and the UN Secretariat and subsequently approved by the General Assembly.
The global financial crisis of 2008–2009 presented another challenge. Gowan said many UN members expected the organization to respond, while the United States and other major economies instead worked through the G20. At the same time, discussions on environmental protection and efforts to address global environmental challenges gained greater prominence within the UN system.
A voice for smaller countries
Gowan said the General Assembly remains particularly important for small countries and middle powers, which often have fewer opportunities to influence international affairs through smaller diplomatic groupings. He noted that despite frequent discussion about the UN’s future, large numbers of world leaders continue to travel to New York every September to address the General Assembly.
He also emphasized the significance of keeping the Assembly at UN Headquarters in New York, describing the location as an important center for global diplomacy and international media attention.
